The travel and tourism industry is going through an extremely challenging time as the novel coronavirus continues to impact tour operators and the tourism industry at large. While we know we will get through this challenging time together as a community, we want to help ensure you are taking the necessary next steps to adapt to the current circumstances and feel empowered to do so.
Beyond your 24/7 support system at FareHarbor, we’ve gathered the following tips and action items to help protect both your business and customers during this time.
Communicate with Your Customers
Update your website - Make it clear if you are open for business or if you have modified your operational hours by adding banners on your website or by updating Item Headlines and Descriptions on your Dashboard.
If you are on a FareHarbor website and need assistance with setting up banners, please reach out to our 24/7 Support team .
Communicate your health and safety policy on your website . Making guests feel safe is of paramount importance as stay-at-home orders are lifted around the world. Make sure you clearly communicate what your policies are by updating your website as well as adding your health and safety policy to your FareHarbor Dashboard .
As a starting point, we have created a pre-formatted policy template that you can copy and paste directly into your Dashboard and then customize it with information specific to your business.
Update your Google My Business listing to reflect any updates to your hours or any other changes your business may be experiencing. Google is asking businesses to update its Google My Business listings if the business is affected by COVID-19. Find Google's help doc for more information.
June 2020 Update: Google added an option for business owners to add links to a donation page or gift card purchase right from your GMB profile. You can link to the existing gift card page on your website, or if you prefer to take donations, Google has partnered with PayPal and GoFundMe. Google is rolling this feature out slowly. You can read more and learn about eligibility on Google's help page .
Encourage future bookings by highlighting available discounts and flexible rebooking policies on your website. Consider allowing customers to purchase a tour with you for any time in the future, leaving the date and time to be determined.
Use canned messages to communicate with existing customers . Canned messages are a quick and easy way to inform customers who have already booked with you about the status of your business.
If you want customers to know your tours are still on , your canned message could say: “Company XYZ is currently unaffected by the coronavirus. We will remain open and maintain our normal business hours. We look forward to seeing you soon!”
If you're temporarily canceling tours , your canned message could read: “Dear valued customer, for your health and safety, Company XYZ will be canceling all tours (or selected tours) at this time in response to the recent coronavirus news. We will reach out in the next 24 hours regarding your specific reservation to determine a resolution. Thank you in advance for your understanding.”
Prepare for Cancellations and Rebookings
Consider encouraging gift cards as a form of credit for a rebooking or cancellation. This will help you avoid lost revenue and reduce the impact on your cash flow.
Incorporate cancellation insurance to protect your tours from last minute-cancellations. Consider an optional add-on at checkout, allowing customers to purchase trip insurance for a non-refundable fee.
Allocate funds to your Refund Reserve on the Dashboard . There is no cost to you when you issue a refund for a booking made through FareHarbor. In the event of a cancellation, you can expedite refunds back to your customer by setting up your Refund Reserve. This will reduce your manual efforts and will ensure a more positive experience for your customers.
Stay Informed
Monitor the latest information surrounding coronavirus - follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO) for up-to-date information.
Bookmark the FareHarbor post on FAQs during COVID-19 . It will be updated frequently to help answer your most pressing needs and questions in real time.
Attend an upcoming FareHarbor webinar where we will answer questions on the above items live. To view the schedule and to register please visit our Webinars page.
Explore Small Business Funding & Other Opportunities
The recent passage of the CARES Act has resulted in new initiatives to help Americans navigate the economic challenges faced by small businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To streamline the loan application process for clients, FareHarbor has teamed up with Lendio , America’s largest small business loan marketplace, which allows business owners to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and connects them to a network of lenders to secure their loan. If you are looking for a loan for your business, visit the FareHarbor partner page on Lendio’s website to learn more about how it works and begin your application.
Google announced it will be providing $340 million in Google Ads credits to small and medium-sized businesses in an effort to help them stay connected with their customers during the pandemic. Those eligible for the credit are small and medium-sized businesses that have been active Google Ads users since 2019 and have run ads for at least ten months in 2019 and either January or February of 2020. Those who qualify don't have to do anything -- they will receive one ad credit in their account. Rollout begins in late May and will be completed in phases. The credit must be used in 2020. To learn more about eligibility, head over to Google's help page on the topic.
Facebook is offering $100 million in cash grants and ad credits for small businesses impacted by COVID-19. They plan to make the grant available in over 30 countries where they operate, but it's currently only available in all cities in the United States. To qualify, businesses must have between 2 and 50 employees, have been in businesses for over a year, have been impacted by the pandemic, and be located in an area where Facebook operates. Learn more about eligibility and how to apply on Facebook's grants page .
If you need anything at all, please visit our online resource center or reach out to [email protected]
These are unprecedented times for the world’s largest industry. We are one global community, we will get through this, and FareHarbor will be here to support you every step of the way. Travel will return, the industry will thrive again, and resilient businesses will be ready to once again provide the positive and memorable experiences the world needs.